Austria can already boast some of the most generous annual leave worldwide, with 25 days' minimum for full-time employees and an additional 13 public holidays.
As in many European countries, but unlike the UK for example, most Austrian holidays are tied to specific dates rather than weekdays. If they happen to fall on a weekend, you do not got a day off in lieu.
That means that 2022 actually only offers ten weekday public holidays, while two of the three 'de facto' public holidays (which employers are not obliged to give as days off, but many do) also fall on weekends, so most employees will get 11 days off work in addition to their annual leave.
In 2021, just nine of the 13 public holidays fell on weekdays, but by contrast all three of the 'de facto' public holidays did, meaning that most people with employment in Austria got 12 days off this year.
Some savvy annual leave planning can help you maximise your days however, for example by taking advantage of five possible four-day weekends throughout the year, which only require one day of annual leave each.
It's worthwhile thinking about this early in the year, because forward planning is almost a national sport in Austria, so you don't want your colleagues to snag all of the best days off before you.
January
Saturday, January 1st (New Year’s Day)
The public holiday year of 2022 doesn't get off to a great start, with the first holiday lost to the weekend. A large number of employers offer December 31st as a day off, though they're not obliged to, so maybe you'll enjoy a three-day weekend at least.
Thursday, January 6th (Epiphany)
Your first chance at a long weekend comes in the first week of the year, with a four-day weekend if you take Friday the 7th off work. Schools in Austria have this Friday off in 2022, extending the Christmas break until January 10th to make things easier with Covid-19 testing rules.
April
Monday, April 18th (Easter Monday)
Good Friday (Friday, April 15th in 2022) isn't a public holiday in Austria, but many employers still give their workers the day off without needing to use annual leave. If that applies to you, you can book time off from April 11th to get ten days off in a row with four requested annual leave days.
May
Sunday, May 1st (Labour Day)
Another holiday is lost to the weekend...
Thursday, May 26th (Ascension Day)
...but later in the month you can take Friday, 27th off to get a four-day weekend.
June
Monday, June 6th (Pentecost)
Great news, it's a three-day weekend.
Thursday, June 16th (Corpus Christi Day)
Another Thursday public holiday gives the chance to take a 'bridge day' and get a second June long weekend.
If you take off May 27th and May 30th-June 3rd, you can get a 12-day holiday for the price of six annual leave days, or if you take off the time between the two June bank holidays (June 7th-10th and 13th-15th), plus Friday 17th, you can get a string of 16 days off for the price of eight days' annual leave. For people who don't have to plan around school holidays, this could be an excellent time to plan your main summer break.
More on working in Austria from The Local:
- Working in Vienna: How to find a job in the Austrian capital
- Everything you need to know about preparing your CV in Austria
- How to survive as a freelancer in Austria
August
Monday, August 15th (Assumption Day)
Another three-day weekend here.
October
Wednesday, October 26th (National Day)
November
Tuesday, November 1st (All Saints Day)
Another chance for a bridge day on the Monday.
December
Thursday, December 8th (Feast of the Immaculate Conception)
Another bridge day opportunity.
Sunday, December 25th (Christmas)
Monday, December 26th (Boxing Day)
In 2022, December 26th gives you one day off, but the other public holidays (December 25th and January 1st, 2023) as well as December 24th and 31st which are not official public holidays but are given by many employers, all fall on the weekend. This means that if you want time off over the holiday, you need to save some of your annual leave to make up for this.
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